Flush mounted discard rack

ABSTRACT

A device used for the discarded cards on a live casino gaming table. The device is used to hold the used playing cards after being played in a pass or hand of a card game preferably Black Jack, 3 Card Poker, Poker, Pai Gow Poker or any other game of chance.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

All existing games of chance use a discard rack to hold the used cardsafter a hand has been dealt or played. All discard racks are usuallyfixed or placed to the right side of the dealer. When a dealer deals ahand to the player or players and a decision has been made depending onthe out come of the game.

Black Jack, for instance, is the most popular game of all. Black Jack'spopularity is so high because, if played right, the odds are much higherthan in any other casino game. The rules vary little from area to areaand from casino to casino. Black Jack is played only against the dealernot against other players. The main objective in Black Jack is to get ahand higher than the dealer's without going over 21. Some professionalBlack Jack players count the cards that are discarded in the discardrack and then count the cards that have been played and can pacethemselves accordingly. Most casinos have table limits from as low as $1up to $100. The values of the cards in Black Jack from two to ten areface value. Jacks, Queens and Kings count as ten and the Ace will eithercount eleven or one. Most card counters always look for the penetrationof the deck that is being dealt and then bet a much higher average betwhen it is beneficial for them. All this is done by counting oraveraging the cards that have been dealt. The card player today issavvier to the game because he or she can see the discards in thestandard discard rack and count backwards; therefore, putting the houseon an uneven playing field. The device disclosed in Cranford (U.S. Pat.No. 20,020,072,419) “automatic discard rack” is used for holding andmixing cards after they have been in play. The device includes featuresfor randomly picking up a portion of cards placed in the rack to allowother cards to be inserted into and randomly mixed by his device. Thedevice clamps, moves up and down and is sensed by electronic means formovement. The device also needs a controller for all movements of thecards. The device has many moving parts and is more prone for overhaul.The Flush Mounted Discard Rack has only three moving parts: the plungerand two spring loaded doors. A light emitting diode and an infraredphototransistor can be added to sense the depth of the cards to let thedealer know that the devise is full and needs to be emptied forre-shuffling. The electronic portion can be powered by a 9 volt battery.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is designed to put all players and the house on an evenplaying field. By the flush mounted discard rack being embedded in thetable surface, the cards cannot be seen or observed by the player ordealer. The dealer simply deals the cards as standard practice to theplayers. When the hand is finished, the dealer simply inserts thediscarded cards in the same style discard rack. Except that the newdevice has a bottom that will accept quite a few decks more ifnecessary. The bottom of the Flush Mounted Discard Rack has a sectionthat moves downward as the cards enter the rack. The weight of the cardsdrives the bottom down as it fills. The device is designed to acceptfrom one deck to nine decks of cards depending on the house'spreference. By having the device in service on the table, there can nolonger be an advantage by the dealer or the player. When a dark or solidcolored shoe is being used for dealing the cards, you cannot see thecards from the side or top of the shoe. A card counter utilizes thefavor ability of the un-played cards in the shoe to determine the sizebet to place. It also works in reverse for the discard rack. A cardcounter may play all hands, and bet a minimum bet whenever the count iscritical, and bet heavily whenever the count is positive. A key portionof the card counter advantage is gained by betting when conditions arefavorable. By using a strategy such as the high low strategy, the cardcounter has better information on the composition of the cards remainingin the shoe. Therefore, the player or dealer has to wait until that handis finished and discarded. Cards are counted when they are discarded. Byobserving the cards dealt, one can estimate what cards are likely tocome out of the shoe. The odds are much greater as the cards pile up inthe discard rack. By using the device, there is no counting the cards.

BREIF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1. depicts the receiver portion of the unit that is embedded in thetable.

FIG. 2. depicts the discard rack itself with the card shelf 30 floatinginside the rack.

FIG. 3. is a side view of the device embedded in the playing surface 32

FIG. 4. is a top view of playing surface with the device installed.

DETAILED DISCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The Flush Mounted Discard Rack 10 is placed in the table surface 32 andready for the acceptance of discarded cards 38. As the dealer plays anduses the up the cards in the finished hands dealt to the players by theexisting shoe, he deposits the cards in the device 10. The cards willhit the backstop portion 18 of the inside portion 20 and fall directlyonto the card shelf 30. As the cards 38 build up and get heaver, theshelf 30, at the center of the inside portion 20, will depress by meansof the plunger 26 compressing the spring 36 in side the plunger receivertube 40. The sensors 34 will alert the dealer that the inside portion 20is full and needs to be emptied. As the dealer removes the insideportion 20, the spring loaded doors 24 hold the cards in position so asnot to let the cards fall out of the front of the device as the insideportion 20 is removed from the rack 10. The doors 24 are designed so asto let the cards pass uninterrupted. After the cards pass or are pulledthru the doors 24, the doors spring shut allowing the inside portion 20to be replaced back into the rack 10. At this point in time, the deviceis ready for the process to start over again.

1. A device that is used in handling playing cards of a live casino gamethat is embedded into the table surface.
 2. A device used for acceptingdiscarded hands of a card game so as: a. to protect the live casino gamefrom cards being counted after they have been used in a previous hand.b. to protect any marked or dubbed playing cards that have been used ina previous play from being counted or observed and re-shuffled to use infuture play of a casino card game.
 3. A device used for holding andaccepting cards of a live casino game so as the cards can bere-introduced into action with a minimum of difficulty.
 4. A device usedon a live casino gaming table to reduce clutter and increase visibilityof a live casino gaming table using playing cards.
 5. A device used on alive casino gaming table by means of accepting discarded playing cardsso the cards cannot be observed by players who have intentions ofcheating the game for which the cards are being used.